Thanks Tony for a great in-depth review. Brilliant stuff and really helpful. Wishing you good things from Oxford UK

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Well great that you liked it... it took weeks :) and thanks for watching...

Excellent review Tony! I really appreciate how you open the gear up to show the components 🤘!

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Great to hear. This took me weeks of work (with that PC crash drive C failure right in the middle) and overall though I really liked this pedal. Some components were not the most powerful, but they worked flawlessly for me so that made little difference really I felt. Thanks for watching...

@Twobarpsi

4 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom you truly have the best gear reviews on YT. I will always have my tube amps, but might consider a "pedal" like this for certain situations.

As expected, your videos are top notch. congratulations . I love seeing things inside.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

It's an important aspect of any gear I think. Sometimes I find bad work or other things like 'obsolete' chips etc. even in new gear, but in the case of this Kemper player it was all good. Thanks for watching.

Thanks as always for the really in depth review ! I am not going to be using this type of profiler, since I really enjoy using my amp and the UA Ox, but I like to be aware of what is in the tech world, and you always are the source for straight information !!

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Very much like me really. I was a little surprised about some of the chip choices when I looked inside and checked them out, but it does sound (with my profiles) very much like the amps I profiled back then in 2012 :). As always thanks...

The lack of a screen indicating which profile you're playing is a deal killer for me. I'm expected to remember the bank system when performing...impossible. The M4 vs. M7 chip is inferior. The positive is playing the Kemper profiles. Other than that...hard pass.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

The chip aspect is true I agree... the no screen did not matter to me and the phone worked perfectly (best I have seen) but I understand the point and for some guys it could be a deal breaker for sure. I think it depends what you're going to use the player for.

Your reviews are brilliant Tony, won't to thank you for spending the time to do a honest review.many thanks Peter

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

My pleasure and thanks for watching...

Thanks for taking the time to make this Review Tony 🤘😎 Very informative and insightful!

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it - I liked looking at this one as I have seen really little Kemper for a while. Kemper was interesting in 2012 and its interesting still today. I expected a newer main unit sooner? Where is it Mr Kemper? Surely those chips wont last forever... thanks for watching too...

Your depth of knowledge and understanding amaze me. I love simply plugging into my amp and playing but understsnd youngsters liking new tech.Thanks for all your efforts.From an old fart(80) in the US it is refreshing to watch your youthful energy and enthusiasm

@tonymckenziecom

3 ай бұрын

Ha great post and you did make me laugh (I need it!). Well of course I do that too... (check out the SDE-3000 review where I used the Kemper as an amp and then right in to the desk through the SDE - its interesting... and I do use gear all the time without going back in there. But I always like to show the insides of gear because frankly there IS some rubbish from time to time - and lets face it, if its not made right it probably wont last... so the insides IMO become important. 80 huh :) Well done my friend - like doing this stuff on here - its all easy until they have a go... you will probably know what I mean. In any case really appreciate you checking out the review... and thanks for watching.

Wow a 10/10 Tony McKenzie review! 👋👋👋 That's incredible!

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Scarily, there are many 10/10 reviews within my 430+ on YT... you need to look closer :) and hey thanks for watching.

Thank you for the comprehensive run through! Re: the complaint about the rating of the rigs being online but not in Rig Manager, I *think* it is because Rig Manager refers to "My Rating" for that rig, meaning its *your* rating of that rig, not the rating of others online (since you might disagree with the rating of others)

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Well thats true, but if I want to see the rating for the online stuff, then that poses a problem really. We all want to see what's 'best' online first ;). Good point and thanks for watching.

Another great review, Anthony. While these new null tests are highlighting Kemper's apparent deficiencies, the feel of playing a Kemper is a unique experience; that sweet inherent compression is delicious under the fingers. Do you notice a similar sensation?

@tonymckenziecom

2 ай бұрын

To be honest, I plug in and if the capture I have sounds great for me that's really all that matters. I can say its not (or the Kemper amp) quite the same as a tube amp somehow and that might relate to what you say. It's an old standard from 2011 and to be honest I am surprised they can still get the chips for that. But there it is! Thanks for the info and for watching.

I wonder if I could use a player in conjunction with a stage and get a dual rig setup ? Still got my stage from 2019 still kicking , always a great review Tony 👍

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. There are some ways to create a two amp solution (or maybe a 3 amp wet dry wet solution - watch my upcoming EVH 3000 pedal review - a week or so) and I did not try any as yet, but if I do I'll show what I do...maybe useful or not :) Thanks for watching...

Hey Tony. Thank you for the amazing video. Wanted to know how much custom duty you had to pay to import the product directly from Germany. I'm planning to buy directly from Kemper as well.

@tonymckenziecom

Ай бұрын

They typically charge the VAT... and overall by the time it was here it was slightly more expensive from what I see. This is because Kemper does NOT have a UK company where they could 'transfer' the stock and then claim the VAT back. Had I bought it from Thomann there would have not been other costs like this - because Thomann operate a UK company as I described. I bought from Kemper to guarantee I would get the unit. Hope it helps and thanks for watching.

Another great review Tony. I still have my Tonex and although I hate the software and only use it for uploading captures on to the main pedal, I love how it sounds and feels. It compares very favourably with the more expensive ones. It’s much much cheaper than the Kemper. If I could afford the Kemper, I’d go for it. But I can’t. I’m waiting for the next Helix….probably be another 5 yrs so plenty time to save.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Yes I'm waiting for a newer Kemper (main unit) as its long overdue... I also have a Helix Rack and want to see an upgrade to that too... thanks for watching....

Hi Tony. Great video 😂, don't know much about Kempers myself or If I would think about buying or using one, but I must say that was some mean playing you did😅 I'm knocked out by your playing technique.😊 Best regards 😺. John.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

I can have a weird way of playing really, it does not adhere to what people tell you on YT and tutors etc... but that's OK. The LightPipe AI track came from my 'Eniac' album of about 2006 and thats online etc. Often I don't play much these days on reviews, more 'heres some chords' and that sort of stuff, but I included LP AI just to show I can still play - sometimes there are people that tell me otherwise... ho ho ho. I last played that track probably 6 months ago and its in this version nearly right. Had I had an hour with it then it would have been perfect :) but this video took a long time to make. I like the tube amps of course, but the Kemper was (and IMO remains) one of the nearest you can get to the real tone and feel of a tube amp. Thanks for watching - appreciated.

The only interesting question : Is this hardware as powerful as the biggest kemper to enable more effects and amp parameters (compression definition…) in future update ?

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

That IS a good question - anyone confirm the Kemper chip? or have I got to do that too! I did review the Kemper rack years ago but never go to the chip at the time. Thanks for the post and for watching....

@dp38

4 ай бұрын

​@@tonymckenziecomChristoph Kemper has said in the Kemper forum that the new unit has the enough processing power to do anything the big units do. However as it costs half the price and already offers 80% of the functionally of the big ones, they're not sure if they'll charge for an upgrade, which I found strange given the company's history of free updates, but somewhat understandable. They have already announced that the next fx update will also be available for the player. I really wanted all the 8 blocks, advanced delays and reverbs so I can bring my rigs from the rack to the player, but for now we just have to wait and see.

@markcalizo

4 ай бұрын

I do have the kemper stage and kemper player they sound the same, the player is limited features though thats the only thing, but it is a monster!

@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784

4 ай бұрын

@@markcalizo yes but to me not having the compression knob in amp structure (amp block) and the cabinet with « character » knob is a deal breaker. I could handle not having all the FX, but I returned the player because of this amp limitations. Apparently it’s the same dps as the bigger ones. Someone said they made the kemper player to get rid of all their new old stock DSP from Freescale and NXP and working on the next generation. Can’t wait!

My guess is the battery could be a holdup for SRAM in the event of a power loss or glitch. Program and parameters are likely written to NV flash.

@tonymckenziecom

3 ай бұрын

Yes I get that, but would have been nice for the maker to bother telling their customers about that... other than that I think a pretty cool product :) Thanks for watching.

I've been using profilers/modellers??? for a couple of years now and the quality (sound, not necessarily build) seems to have improved a lot. I've been recording and they are very very convenient. But the other day I just plugged the guitar into a valve amp and I felt the familiar joy I have been missing with the interfaces. I can't work out whether there is a truly qualitative difference or it's just me being old and nostalgic. I suspect it might be the real 2x12 speaker cab, which I don't get with monitors and headphones.

@tonymckenziecom

2 ай бұрын

You know what, I have bought or tried most simulators totaling in the tens... and I still have tube amps also in the studio. I notice the difference like this. 1. when you play through the tube amp it actually 'feels' different to play and responds a little different (depending on the volume) and 2. The tube amp generally inspires me to create better music... I honestly think while the simulators are good in general, that little difference does actually make a difference. Ah just noticed it was you Robin... I trust you're doing OK there and as always thanks for watching.

@robinjgill

2 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom Doing fine here Tony. You too I hope

Tony, thank you for all your reviews. This may not be of interest or need to everyone, so just a thought. One of the things I look and listen for in modelers, is latency. Especially live. And especially in switching. Leo Gibson's test reviews of this newest Kemper, the Player, shows that it has latency similar to the original Kemper, which is about 4ms. When he tested the Boss GT-1000, he found it's latency to be smallest latency of all the modelers at about 1ms.

@tonymckenziecom

3 ай бұрын

That's a fair point but one I can't easily measure myself. @LeoGibsonGtr is a channel that I watch sometimes and he often has very good reviews... I tend to put Leo in a different 'box' than many of the others on YT actually. Yes the Kemper has really no discernible latency (I own the real one and this player) when using it and most of the better stuff Helix and others) again are not noticeable when I use them. My newest review of the Boss SDE-3000 EVH dual delay pedal was driven by the Kemper Player and at some speed in parts of the played demo and it did I have to say work perfectly. I have used some gear that had a slow latency and there is no doubt that the higher latency would and does get in the way, but in general it all seems to be getting a bit better. a 4ms is nothing to even be bothered with and you highly likely wont tell its there. Good point and thanks for watching.

@lastdance2006

3 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom Tony - I hear you. Thank you for your reply and thank you so much for your in-depth reviews and your knowledge.

@guitartoneSA

Ай бұрын

Leo Gibson latency tests showed the Player latency at 3ms, the QC at 3.2 ms, the ToneX at 3ms. The was GT1000 was 1ms, but it can't compete tone and feel wise to any of the top three digital amp boxes...so it's latency is pointless. The latency of your tube amp one meter from you is 2.94ms. Anything under 10ms is acceptable to human ears. 3ms is impossible to hear or feel...it might as well be zero because it's irrelevant.

Interesting, I've always been a fan of your videos because you dive into the hardware. I have an Amp Academy from Nux that sounds as good as anything I have tried and also has a 1 GHz microprocessor. It got updated for free with 6 additional new amps. I know that is not the whole story, but it makes the Kemper perhaps a little underpowered.

@guitartoneSA

4 ай бұрын

How can a digital algorithm sound underpowered? The engineer who invents the best algorithm wins, the processor is irrelevant because it has no tone, the tone comes from the algorithm.

@LuchoFerro

4 ай бұрын

@guitartoneSA I never claimed it sounds bad or that it has bad algorithms. Just that I find better value in other products that fulfill my needs with strangely better specs. The Amp Academy doesn't have full effects as well. So indeed, the Kemper Player has very efficient algorithms.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

@LuchoFerro I thouhght it was a little less powered than what I might have guessed. While that could be criticised by some, the unit did work very well and main reason for the 10/10 score. BTW I really like the NUX gear and have shown a few devices on my channel - and the company that makes them does a very good job. I'm always amazed at the value/price point is really great. The Kemper player worked almost flawlessly though and that's exactly what we all want I'm sure. Thanks for the info on what works for you and for watching.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

@guitartoneSA - Ouch!, well I get what he is saying. If you consider 'the competition' then you will see the processor is not really the most powerful in the world or the newest either. I had NO ISSUES at all re the Kemper player and its operation. For me, I was concerned about the availability of the processor long term (it might be!) or not and if it does stop production then that might generate create other knock on issues regarding the longevity of the unit itself. In any case, the profiler player sounded very good indeed and I liked it a lot. Just a comment and thanks for watching...

Que gran aporte en este video, excelente video, los datos son de gran aporte. Me llama enormemente la atención que el ToneX tiene mas DSP que el Kemper: M4 vs M7; Wao!!!!

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Sí, el TONEX tiene más 'potencia' como dices, pero el reproductor Kemper nunca perdió el ritmo y tenía un gran software... funcionó muy bien, así que, aparte de la longevidad de los chips, creo que realmente hizo poca diferencia. Me alegro de que te haya gustado el video, lleva mucho tiempo crearlo y este fue largo, sin duda. Gracias por la publicación y por mirar, apreciado.

The Battery in the other units is only for the clock, if it fails , the unit will still play sounds, just have an error message to skip for the TIME

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Well that might be the case.. or not. I found no information anywhere about the battery or that it even existed. But thanks for the post and for watching...

@ashtweth

4 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom I bought the toaster when it first came out (back when the dead sea was alive) I never knew it had a battery, to that I say to kemper "Ya Bastards" (hehe) I Never knew and I have had the bloody thing since day ONE. So Sir If you are blown away SO AM I. :)

Hey Tony, thanks for review that was quite detalied and good. I wonder about, there is a chance review for Mooer GE1000? And what is your opinion between Headrush Core and Kemper Player for home playing?

@tonymckenziecom

3 ай бұрын

I dont have a Mooer GE1000 yet... if I do get one it will be reviewed. The kemper sounds best... IMO the core really is aimed at a slightly different type of user - the K player for me is useful moreso than the CORE, but the core has lots of stuff it can do and for the extra bit of money... the CORE remains good value... they both do really but the CORE offers a little more, whereas the Kemper for studio is better I think. Thanks for watching.

Hey Tony, great review as always. I looked up the Kemper in terms of functionality and I don't see the value of this over a Tonex as both lack effects loops and only feature limited onboard effects. In the US, the Tonex is 400 and the Kemper is 700, making the former cheaper to integrate into a fully-fledged platform like the GT-1000 Core.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

But the thing is, that the Kemper has 22,000 profiles? And I can tell you those are pretty cool... the Tonex is the new boy on the block for sure, but, Kemper has that technology that allows for adjustment of the profile whereas I don't think that Tonex does. Lastly, again although the Tonex has 'faster' hardware power than the Kemper player, the Tonex software seems flaky (I saw it all first hand when I tried hard to review it) and the Kemper software just works. I agree the Kemper player costs more, but as a Kemper user already, I did think its a better choice for me... That was the logic, it might not be like that for everyone of course. I also own a GT-1000CORE here but personally I probably would just stick with the Kemper generally as I showed it - especially here in a studio. Its horses for courses I think. I'm sure Tonex will sell more ;-) Thanks for the post and for watching...

@stevestan6525

4 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom At long last, I ordered the GT-1000 Core today. I am a beginner: 2 guitars, 1 5150 Iconic amp, sold the few pedals I had, got the GT-1000 instead. Whether I ever add a Tonex is another story. My first worry is to avoid also buying a (used) DD-500. These do not hold their value. I can get a really good one for 60% of original price. The Gt-1000Core for now retains enough value to not be worth buying it used. It is not so much a matter of money: as a beginner with an 11-song setlist, I try to avoid tempting Fortuna:) Cheers--and I always look forward to your next video, whether we agree on something or not:)

Great another pedal that is just awesome. I love all this new digital tech. Guys that do small gigs could get away with just a few pedals and cables and its off to the races without lugging around all those heavy amps.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

There is no doubt that you could do it with this Kemper player. None! Thanks for watching...

the battery is the same as in a garmin , about a fiver , thanks for the review tony !

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Ha I'm sure it is, but it might have been nice for them to tell us there was one in there! I saw NO ONE mention that :) Thanks for watching...

Hi. Intertek is not a manufacturer, it´s a quality inspection company

@tonymckenziecom

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info... seems they did their job then ;-) Thanks for watching.

Btw The L/R Monitor Outs are balanced TRS.

@tonymckenziecom

2 ай бұрын

Tks for the info. And thanks for watching.

Thanking you for this great review, my feeling is that apart of posibillity of playing kemper profiles, the unit is significantly overpriced (bottom end is an ARM chip based unit, an average and discountinued CS424 familly audio codec, ..., no screen, plastic connectors, etc). I'm not sure what kind of german "quality" is here... Thank's again !

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

I think it is over priced a little too. But remember that 22000 profiles is not to be sniffed at in any way, and because Kemper has been around for over 12 years honestly, for me that's the biggest draw. But I do own a Kemper amp too. I was surprised about the processor in comparison to the T word (ha Tonex) and the less power really, but the Kemper player did work very well overall. On 'German' quality, I have even had a Porsche Turbo S cracking the handles on the paint all by itself... so I certainly would not include the 'German' quality... but general quality was overall good on this unit. I did not include the 'German' aspect in my score weighting because well, it makes no real difference from what I see. Good points and thanks for watching.

Who cares about how old the chips are. Valves are a little bit older but you wouldn’t pull the manufacturer up about that. And for all the comments saying the manufacturer no longer exists, Freescale was acquired by NXP and the DSP56xxx used in the Kemper is still in production. It is just NRND and it’s in fact probably the best Audio specific DSP family of chips ever made hence why the Kemper is still the leader.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

You are completely wrong about the age of the chips. Its a clear statement from someone that has little clue about the discontinuation of those types of products and what it means to makers. I have never suggested that any of those chips in this unit are discontinued? Thanks.

@guitartoneSA

4 ай бұрын

Very interesting. 👍 Please explain NRND to me. Thanks.

que sonzeira, top top... Brazil!!!

@tonymckenziecom

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching

It has a Varta CR2032 cell on the circuit board, no doubt it is a german product.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

Ha true! :) and thanks for watching...

Onslow!

I dropped my unit straight out of the box, broke the plastic input jack. Kemper won't replace just the jack. Repair is to replace the entire board $325 . . . .

@tonymckenziecom

28 күн бұрын

a Very useful point and one that guys should heed! Thanks for that post and for watching.

Wow ! The person on the right looks so creepy staring without moving for long periods of time !

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

I will tell Alan he's 'creepy' :) but do remember as a Bass player I tell him its perfect... (just joking Al). Actually Alan Bruce is a very talented guy and although I 'pick on him' sometimes in the vids... of course its all made up! :) Thanks for watching...

@lousekoya1803

4 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom Haha ! Love you and your channel and your friend also ! Just having fun with him a bit ! He did give me the creeps though ! 😂

@WholeLottaBulldog

2 ай бұрын

Gee what an insecure thing to say about the poor bloke.

Very nice if you like wasting many hours trying get it to work after it crashes your computer. I have all the effects that i need, an amp and an echo box plus an ancient VoxTonelab EX for anything else as old as it is you can program it with the Vox software and it even works on windows 7 No Windows 10 for me thank you. Would i buy this one? not until they have sorted out the software issues and you can buy a used one that another buyer became too frustrated to keep it. As Tony stated, how long before the processor is obsolete and they bring out a new version, history repeats itself. These days i have more sense than money and can sit back and keep myself ammused with these reviews.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

No - it did not crash my computer. The hard drive (M.2) failed through use and the software CyberLink Power Director 365 does not backup everything... really hard to get past - but I did recover it all eventually. The great thing about the Kemper player is that as I showed it sounds the same 12 years later :) so a used device is a very good idea actually. The processor I reckon is on that board either because they buy in the modules OR they can exchange it later after EOL. Hey I hope this one is somewhat enlightening - it was a very long review and I tried very hard to show lots of info that no one really does. And again... thanks for watching.

I’m VERY DISAPPOINTED. The DSP you showed is a Freescale (this company doesn’t exist anymore, the logo has disappeared from any chip since 2015)

@Flossyrockstar

4 ай бұрын

Freescale was acquired by NXP and the DSP56xxx used in the Kemper is still in production. It is just NRND and it’s in fact probably the best Audio specific DSP family of chips ever made.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784 for me, I found the chip to work perfectly well, but I was concerned about its longevity in production - but I never found anything relating that it would cease any time soon. Thanks for the post and for watching.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

@Flossyrockstar Thanks for this great information - appreciated... and thanks for watching.

@guitartoneSA

4 ай бұрын

Why do you comment on something you know nothing about?

Speaking as a programmer and as a musician. That software IS JUST BAD.

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

It works perfectly! And thats more than I can say for the TONEX unit which failed even simple first install. The software IS important and I agree the better the software the better the operation really... but no issues on the rig manager that I could see really. Thanks for the post and for watching.

A buzz fest

@tonymckenziecom

4 ай бұрын

It's what happens when you create profiles of amps that 'buzz' :) For me its a rock metal device... thanks for watching.

@myuncle2

4 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom Gain and distortion can quickly become unpleasant unless you use a cranked Marshall Plexi, with a Gibson, or a Strat. What I mean is, it's easy to make mistakes, because we have too many options. Even reverb can become a quick way to drown a beautiful gainy tone from a cranked Marshall.

some old man can't handle software。maybe one day will happen to me also

@tonymckenziecom

2 ай бұрын

If only you knew... and less of the 'old man' theme.

中国人是你爸爸

@tonymckenziecom

2 ай бұрын

不，中国人以违反知识规范和未经许可使用它们而闻名。可悲的是。我用了很长时间的中国企业。他们认为“价格”是一切的关键，可悲的是，这是一个有缺陷的假设。质量为王，从长远来看，这可能是那些认为“最低成本”为王的企业的垮台。谢谢。我很惊讶，我必须根据迄今为止在远东 43 年的经验向您发布此意见。

@vidokdjjfj

2 ай бұрын

@@tonymckenziecom 你真的真的非常可笑，当这些老钱脱实就虚抛弃所有实体产品制造，追求虚妄优越感，打算靠版权吃一万年的懒汉思维；和起早贪黑不嫌利润薄，从代工积累经验乃至形成完整工业链开始挑战制定规则的阴险设计者的时候，事情变得有趣起来。